Eight climate protesters arrested at congressional baseball game: police

Eight climate protesters were arrested Wednesday after being tackled to the field during a congressional baseball game, the U.S. Capitol Police said in a statement.

The so-called “youth-led group,” Climate Defiance, took credit for the protest and shared videos on X of protesters rushing onto the field, calling the “Chevron-sponsored” game “a unacceptable”.

During the second inning, more than a half-dozen protesters jumped the fence onto the field, wearing shirts reading “END FOSSIL FUELS.”

The crowd chants “USA! » drowned out the demonstrators.

“All eight individuals are charged with federal charges – interfering with a member of the U.S. Capitol Police,” authorities said in a statement.

The group was protesting outside the stadium before the match started and had been vocal in the days leading up to the match over the planned protest.

“Before the charity match, we were aware that some people were planning to potentially protest. This was discussed in our planning meetings and incorporated into our overall action plan to ensure we had enough resources to respond quickly,” Capitol Police said in a statement. x.

Before the first pitch of the game had even been thrown, screams rang out from the stands as a dozen pro-Palestinian protesters began a demonstration against the U.S. government's support for Israel, which has been at war for more than eight months with Hamas in Gaza. .

The demonstration, which began with the presentation of the colors, continued with the singing of the national anthem, provoking loud counter-chants of “USA” from the Republican supporters section before spreading throughout the stadium.

As they displayed Palestinian posters and flags, security quickly removed the demonstrators, many of whom wore keffiyehs, the traditional Palestinian headscarves that have become icons of the movement.

In an interview through an exterior stadium fence, one of the protesters spoke to ABC News, saying, “We are here to shame Congress for participating in, sponsoring and financing a genocide.” »

The Congressional Baseball Game is a bipartisan tradition dating back to 1909, with proceeds supporting Washington-area charities. The annual game has already been threatened. In 2017, during training for Republican lawmakers, then-House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., and Capitol Police officer Crystal Griner were shot and killed.

ABC News' Beatrice Peterson contributed to this report.